


Roommates

by Maplesyrup



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 11:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11058123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maplesyrup/pseuds/Maplesyrup
Summary: The response to an angsty prompt from an anon on tumblr:“My roommate had to go into my room and throw the sheets away because I haven’t been able to sleep in that bed since you left.”Angst with a happy ending (or beginning, depending on your take.)





	Roommates

Gold made his way to his front door to answer the person who kept fervently knocking, wondering if Jefferson had locked himself out again, and intended to give his ersatz roommate a piece of his mind if it were him.

“You are the most irresponsible—“

He cut off as he saw who waited for him on the threshold, his breath stopping in his chest as disbelief surged forward, followed swiftly by longing and then rage.

“Belle.”

* * *

 

They stared at each other for a moment; her eyes were as cerulean as he remembered, a hint of worry in her gaze as she looked at him. He wondered if she could see the hurt and longing in his eyes like he could read the fear in hers. It came back to him as naturally as reading the pages of a well-loved book.

His eyes caressed her features, the anger he felt towards her doing nothing to dim the love that still spread through him with every beat of his heart. A small movement caught his eyes and he dropped them to see one of her hands clutching a suitcase, with the other curved protectively around the gentle swell of her stomach.

Realization hit him and he swayed where he stood.

His eyes snapped back up her hers. “You’re…”

She nodded, biting her lower lip in a way that sent tingles through him. “Yeah.”

“Is it mine?” The words came out before he could stop them and he winced.

She dropped her eyes but not before he saw the shame there. “Yes.”

He stood back, making space for her to enter the house. “Come in."

* * *

 

She moved inside the house with a cautious air, as if she knew she wasn’t truly welcome anymore. He gestured to the living room and she took a seat on the small couch near the fireplace. He bit back the desire to tell her not to sit there, that had been _their_ spot, and she had no right to it anymore.

He watched her take a deep breath, the motion of it making her small belly rise and fall and he wanted to weep. Another child, another chance to do things right, to do better than he’d done with Neal… but what if she didn’t want him in the life of this child?

Rage filled him anew. He wouldn’t allow Belle to keep him from this child, not like Milah had done with Neal, taking him halfway across the world just to get away from Gold. He wouldn’t miss out this time.

“Why are you here?” Ire filled his words as he spoke to her and he knew a moment’s regret as her sad blue eyes met his, but quashed it. He wouldn’t let her back in.

“I-I would think that would be obvious,” she said, both hands going to her stomach this time. “I thought…it wasn’t right to keep this from you. Not after what happened when Neal was little.” She looked up at him and he had to fight himself to not give in to her words.

She remembered, of course she did. But that wouldn’t change a thing.

“Thank you for bringing back what’s mine,” he said, his tone cold. He saw her wince and clenched his fists to keep from falling at her feet to beg forgiveness.

“I’m sorry, Rum.” Her voice was barely a whisper and he could hear pain in every syllable. “I-I don’t know what happened, but I know that I missed you and—“

“You missed me?” He barked a laugh, willing ice through his veins to quash any sympathy for her. “You have a fine way of showing it. No contact for over five months and then you show up on my doorstep, claiming that,” he pointed to her stomach, “is mine.”

He smiled nastily at her. “Forgive me if I don’t quite believe you, dearie.”

She flinched. He said it to hurt her and could tell it hit its mark, the word a measure of the distance between them.

He opened his mouth to deliver another scathing remark when she gasped, her hands tightening around her stomach. His ire was cut off, his attention zeroing in on her middle.

“What’s wrong?” His eyes shot to her face and he was surprised to see her smile, a small, secret thing that made him desperate to be in her confidence once more.

“Nothing’s wrong, the baby just kicked.” Her smile turned a little sad as she kept her gaze down. “Rather forcefully. I think he doesn’t like to hear his mama and papa fighting.”

Gold’s entire world narrowed to that statement.

“He?”

Belle looked up at him and nodded shyly, her blue eyes glistening. “Yes. It’s a boy. You’re going to have another son, Rum.”

He didn’t have to work hard to remember how far along Milah was when they found out Neal was a boy, too. Twenty weeks. That meant—

“You left me when you were already pregnant.”

The shining in her eyes turned to full tears and her lower lip trembled as she nodded. “Yes. Rum, I’m so sorry. I was so scared—“

“You knew you were carrying my child and you still left?” He shot up, putting a hand over his mouth as he paced jerkily. “Why?”

“I just said I was scared!” She dashed a hand across her cheeks, trying to wipe away the streaming tears. “I know what it cost you when Milah took Neal across the country, how it broke your heart. I thought another child would make you think I was trying to erase him.”

He whirled on her, not bothering to hide the pain her words caused. “I would do _anything_ to have another chance at that.” He pointed an accusing finger at her. “The fact that you didn’t stop to consider—“ He dropped his hand. “You just left. You didn’t—“

Jefferson chose that moment to give a few raps on the living room entryway, poking his disheveled head into the room and darting his eyes back and forth between Gold and Belle.

“Everything ok in here? Hi, Bookworm.”

Gold scowled at him. “Fine, Jefferson. Please give us some privacy.”

Jefferson held up his hands, an expression of innocence on his animated face. “Hey, I’m not the one shouting the house down now that my girl has returned where she rightfully belongs. That’s you.” He dropped his hands, his eyes landing on Belle, and then sliding to her stomach.

“Oh, Bookworm; you’re pregnant! Oh, my goodness!” He swept into the room and hauled her up from the couch and into his arms, spinning her around remarkably well. He released her but held onto her waist.

“Are you back for good? This one,” he jerked his head towards Rum, “is absolutely no fun to live with without you around.”

Belle’s eyes darted between the two men. “You…live here now?”

Jefferson nodded with an affirmative hum.

“It hasn’t been a picnic, like I said. My _roommate_ had to go into my room and throw the sheets away because,” he placed a dramatic hand over his heart, “I haven’t been able to sleep well in that bed since you left.”

Belle let out a choking laugh and the sound traveled through Gold, warming the ice he’d let creep in around his heart since she left. She was so beautiful when she laughed.

“Where are you sleeping?”

“The daybed in the library.” Jefferson winked at Gold. “I sleep there because it annoys him to have anyone in _your_ room.”

“I see.” Belle glanced at him, one of her fondly exasperated looks on her face and it all suddenly felt much too normal for Gold. She hadn’t gone to the store and taken too long, she had _abandoned_ him while pregnant with their child.

“Jefferson, go for a walk.” He scowled at the taller man.

“But I just got back!”

“I don’t care. Go again. We need privacy.”

Jefferson sighed. “Alright, I’ll go.” He took a few steps closer to Gold and leaned in, his normally jovial face becoming uncharacteristically serious. “Don’t mess this up again, Rumford. I know you still love her. Make things right.”

With that bit of wisdom, he departed, leaving Belle and Gold to stare at each other once more.

Jefferson’s words chafed. How had _he_ messed this up? He hadn’t kicked her out, she made the choice of her own free will to leave. She said she’d been scared, but what was there to be scared of? He hadn’t abused her or lied to her, he’d only ever loved her. Couldn’t she see?

Something inside him broke and his shoulders slumped under the weight of his emotions. It was too hard to be this angry all the time, and harder still to pretend that he wasn’t still madly in love with her, that she wasn’t the very air in his lungs and having her in front of him again was like breathing for the first time in months. He couldn’t keep it up.

“I can’t do this anymore, Belle,” he said quietly, too afraid to speak louder in case he lost control.

He saw her face start to crumple and watched her do an admirable job of schooling her features into something resembling calm. She took a few deep breaths before she spoke.

“Ok.”

“I’m so sorry.” His voice was a little louder this time. “I can’t pretend. It hurts too much to pretend.”

She nodded, losing control over her calm facade and he saw more tears start to fall down her face, hiccuping sobs shaking her shoulders. “O-ok. I’ll…get a room at Granny’s, but you’re w-welcome whenever you’d like.”

He frowned, puzzled. What was she talking about?

“And,” she continued around her sobs, “I w-wouldn’t dream of keeping you from our baby.” She rifled through the pocket of her little maternity dress and pulled out a photo, handing it to him. He looked at it, cradled it in his hands; it was an ultrasound photo and his heart practically tripped over itself as he fell in love with his child.

She pointed. “That’s him. He’s perfect and I know you’ll love him as much as I do when he comes.” She bent down and picked up her small suitcase. “Goodbye, then.”

He stared at her as she started to leave. _Wait._ Something, something wasn’t right; why was she leaving? He told her he couldn’t pretend anymore, he told her how much it hurt—

Time seemed to slow down as his mind cleared and he realized that yet again, they’d misunderstood each other and the two halves of his heart were about to walk out of the front door, and his life.

He snapped out of his daze and reached her before she had left the room. He’d missed five months of her pregnancy because of their combined foolishness, but he would not miss a second more due to his own.

“Belle, please.” He stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder and was flooded with relief as she turned around, tremulous hope lighting her eyes. “Don’t leave.”

“You…want me to stay?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, strained from the force of her sobs.

The ice around his heart shattered into a million pieces as he gazed at her and nodded, the only thing he could do while tears streamed down his face and his features contorted with his own sobs.

Suddenly, his arms were full of her, her rounded stomach pressed against his and he felt their child kicking him fiercely, apparently approving of the recent development. He laughed in between sobs as he buried his face in her neck.

“Oh god, sweetheart. Please stay. Please don’t ever leave me again.” He clutched at her, and she at him and eventually they calmed enough to pull back slightly from the embrace, their faces still close together.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” Belle said, stroking his face with her small hands. “I was so scared and acted so stupidly. I don’t know how, but I’ll spend every day of our lives proving myself to you again if that’s what you need.”

He shook his head, grabbing her hand and kissing her fingers. “No, sweetheart, I don’t need that. I just need you,” he rested his second hand on her stomach, “and him. I want our family. I want our love.”

She began crying again, but her smile shone through, and he knew her tears were of relief and joy.

“I love you. I love you so much it hurts; it’s killed me to be away from you. I’m so sorry!” She pressed herself up and captured his lips with her own. He cupped her face in his hands and poured all his love into returning the kiss.

After awhile, fierce little kicks against his abdomen made him pull back with a laugh, his heart lighter than it had been in months.

“I suppose he disagrees with being squeezed so tightly.”

Belle smiled, placing her hand over his where it rested on her stomach. “No, he just wants to be part of the conversation, much like his papa.”

“Have you given him a name yet?”

She shook her head, her smile turning wistful. “I always hoped we’d do that together. I have a few ideas, but nothing I’d choose without your fair share of the input.”

He pulled her into him again with a grin, holding his entire world in the circle of his arms, his heart finally, breathtakingly full. “I think we can reach a deal there, sweetheart.”


End file.
